Kareena Kapoor’s 5 best films ever, from Shah Rukh Khan’s Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham to 3 Idiots with Aamir Khan – have you seen the Bollywood beauty’s biggest hits?

Sep 21 , 2020

Happy birthday, Kareena Kapoor – the sexy Bollywood star turns 40 on September 21. Photo: @therealkareenakapoor/Instagram

Deepika Padukone might be Bollywood’s highest-paid female star, but the title “Queen of Bollywood” belongs to Kareena Kapoor. The actress, who turns 40 on September 21, has managed to reinvent herself time and again in an industry known for its stereotypical women’s roles, and has won three Filmfare Awards for Best Actress (India’s Oscars) for her performances in films Jab We Met (2008), Omkara (2007) and Dev (2005).

Married to A-list royal Saif Ali Khan with a three-year-old son, Taimur Ali Khan (and currently expecting her second child), Kareena hails from the first family of Bollywood: her grandfather is iconic actor and film producer Raj Kapoor; Her sister is actress Karisma Kapoor, she counts Ranbir Kapoor among her cousins; and her parents are actors Randhir Kapoor and Babita.

While fans await her next two films – Laal Singh Chaddha, with Aamir Khan, and Takht, opposite Ranveer Singh, both due out in 2021 – here’s a look back at 5 of her best movies, where she co-stars with some of India’s finest talent, including inimitable leading men Amitabh Bachchan, Shah Rukh Khan and Aamir Khan.

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Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham (2001)

Karan Johar (pictured above with Kareena) pulled off the ultimate casting coup in Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham (KKKG), his epic family drama starring Amitabh Bachchan and his wife Jaya Bachchan, Shah Rukh Khan, Kajol and Hrithik Roshan.

Kareena’s supporting role is small – but unforgettable. She plays a sassy, rule-breaking student called Poo (short for Pooja), a mini skirt-loving fashionista who is also mindful of her family’s traditions. Along the way, Poo falls in love with her college mate (Hrithik Roshan) and helps sort out her family’s problems, with a few energetic song-and-dance routines along the way. KKKG was the highest-grossing film of the year overseas, and remains a cult favourite.

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3 Idiots (2009)

3 Idiots is Aamir Khan’s movie through and through, but Kareena (seen above with the star) puts her acting chops to formidable use. She steals the show in every scene and is especially fantastic in one sequence (spoilers ahead!) where, via a flickering video feed, she helps Rancho, Khan’s character, deliver her sister’s baby in a university common room.

3 Idiots was directed by Rajkumar Hirani and made a killing at the box office. It was a runaway success in China, where Aamir Khan has since become a household name.

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Jab We Met (2007)

Kareena and Shahid Kapoor – a real-life couple at the time – share amazing chemistry in Jab We Met, a sweet romance by director Imtiaz Ali that cemented the actress’ (feisty) girl-next-door image. She portrays Geet, a strong-willed Punjabi girl who runs away from home with the purpose of marrying her boyfriend and finding her happy-ever-after, only to fall for the charming man she meets along the way.

Filmed in northern India’s Punjab region, Manali and Shimla, the movie packs beautiful locales, a great soundtrack and wonderful performances by the lead pair (who had split up by the time the film hit cinemas).

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Heroine (2012)

Hard-line fans insist Heroine, directed by Madhur Bhandarkar, is one of Kareena’s best films and they might have a point. Her character, Mahi Arora, is a top Bollywood actress whose star is on the wane. Bipolar, and juggling insecurities, fandom and men, she slowly comes undone while trying to stay relevant and hold on to her place in the sun.

With lavish sets and costumes recreating the glamour of India’s biggest movie industry, the movie feels like a gratuitous peek into an overhyped world, and earned Kareena a Filmfare best actress nomination.

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Omkara (2006)

Omkara, Vishal Bhardwaj’s modern-day take on Othello, established Kareena as an actress to be reckoned with, and won her best actress at the Filmfare Awards. She features in a stellar line-up of actors, among them Ajay Devgn, Konkona Sen Sharma, and husband Saif Ali Khan (pictured above with Kareena; they weren’t married then). The movie stays true to the Shakespearean tragedy, with a spicy sprinkling of Bollywood melodrama.

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Asian cinema: Bollywood

Happy birthday, Kareena Kapoor – as the sexy Bollywood actress turns 40 on September 21, we look back at the award-winning diva’s films that have gone on to become cult favourites, from KKKG to 3 Idiots, with stars like Shah Rukh Khan, Aamir Khan and husband Saif Ali Khan